NAVIGATING THE ETHICS OF REMOTE MEDICAL CONSULTATIONS

MANY employers are suspicious and to a large degree reluctant to accept medical certificates obtained through electronic means. As a practicing attorney in the field of labour law, I often get the query from employers and their human resource management as to how a doctor could diagnose someone and certify that they were unable to work if they haven't seen the person.

- MICHAEL BAGRAIM

I am aware that sick leave is often abused and I've had many cases where individuals have applied for leave unsuccessfully only to see that the individual submits a sick certificate and takes the leave in any event. In many instances the medical practitioners, even in person visits are told that the individual has a “sore back” and can’t move.

The medical practitioner will issue the certificate and possibly a prescription for muscle relaxants. The patient would then access the required “sick leave” at the cost of one medical visit and thereby obtaining the necessary time off to do whatever that they intended to do in the first place. I've had stories from individuals telling me that they needed to fix their motor vehicle and had to have three days off in order to ensure that it was properly done.

We've had other instances where individuals had reported in sick but when the employer perused the social media, they found that, that staff member was on holiday at some exotic island during that time. A case of this nature once crossed my desk and led to a dismissal thereafter.